Prohibiting motorbikes ‘shortcuts’ to impact entire delivery business

Prohibiting motorbikes ‘shortcuts’ to impact entire delivery business

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Kuwait announced rules this week that will severely limit the routes motorbike delivery riders can take. From October 3, motorbike delivery riders are banned from almost all the major roads including First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Ring Roads as well as Highways 30, 40, 50, 60 and 80. The decision is aimed at pushing back against a growing number of traffic accidents involving motorcycles.

Delivery by motorcycle, once a rarity in Kuwait, has boomed during the pandemic period and there are now thousands of motorcycle delivery riders on the roads. These riders are pushed for time and often work on commission, meaning the more deliveries they make, the more money they earn. This had led some to ride fast and recklessly, often cut through lanes of traffic or use major highways despite the danger to themselves or others.

Restaurants and delivery services, however, oppose the new regulations. “It will definitely affect the business but more so for the riders because at the end of the day they are running after the commission,” explained the operation manager of a well-known delivery service in Kuwait. “We can still continue to deliver and give what is ordered by our customers but